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Featured Stories

The science that transformed a dry streambed into an oasis

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50 Years of USGS Headquarters Building in Reston, Virginia

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5 Geomagnetic Storms That Reshaped Society

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Rapid Response Seafloor Seismology

New Small Ocean-Bottom Seismographs Enable Rapid Response to Earthquakes and Other Marine Geohazards

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Illuminating the Night: How Minerals in Fireworks Power Our Lives

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Five Years After the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence

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USGS and Germany signal continued partnership for Landsat Next mission

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Dive into the world of science! Read these stories and narratives to learn about news items, hot topics, expeditions underway, and much more. Use an RSS reader, browser extension, or software to get updates when new Featured Stories are posted.

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The Nation Prepares for Extreme Space Weather

The Nation Prepares for Extreme Space Weather

A severe solar storm could disrupt the nation’s power grid for months, potentially leading to widespread blackouts. Resulting damage and disruption...
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Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake in Afghanistan

Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake in Afghanistan

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 26, 2015 at 09:09:32 UTC.
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A Nation Parched for Research on Ecological Drought

A Nation Parched for Research on Ecological Drought

While prolonged drought with widespread impacts on food and water supplies for people is among the oldest stories in human history, ecological drought...

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Visit the Moon Without Leaving Your Desk

Visit the Moon Without Leaving Your Desk

Ever wonder what it would be like to wander around the Moon? Sky gazers can now journey there without leaving their desk.
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Birds in the Bakken: Oil Development Can Affect Critical Habitat

Birds in the Bakken: Oil Development Can Affect Critical Habitat

Many grassland bird species in the Bakken shale region, including some seriously declining populations, are displaced from their habitats as a result...

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Get Ready to ShakeOut on October 15

Get Ready to ShakeOut on October 15

Do you know what to do the moment the ground starts shaking? Drop, Cover, and Hold On! Be prepared and join millions of people participating in the...
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Tracking the Causes and Consequences of Land Change

Tracking the Causes and Consequences of Land Change

Land change happens in the course of human civilization. Since prehistoric times, people have indelibly changed the land to advance human goals — by...
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Lessons Learned from a Legend: Luna Leopold's View of the River

Lessons Learned from a Legend: Luna Leopold's View of the River

No time seems more fitting than now – with the epic drought in California and major flooding from a nor’easter and Hurricane Joaquin – to pay tribute...
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Unprecedented Drought in the West

Unprecedented Drought in the West

Drought has left the West parched and thirsty. Families, businesses, and farmers all need water, as do fish, wildlife, and their habitats.

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Double Trouble: USGS Responds to Hurricane Joaquin and Nor’easter

Double Trouble: USGS Responds to Hurricane Joaquin and Nor’easter

The East Coast of the United States is dealing with dual storm systems—Hurricane Joaquin and a nor’easter moving through the Carolinas. Both storm...

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Citizen Science: For Citizens, Science, and the Planet

Citizen Science: For Citizens, Science, and the Planet

Citizen science — scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, usually in collaboration with scientific institutions — is a grassroots...

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Much Ado about Avian Flu

Much Ado about Avian Flu

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly referred to as bird flu, is making its way across North America.

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